Christmas tree suppliers fear season may be lost

Fir tree growers across Greece that supply the country with Christmas trees during the holiday season are anxiously waiting to see if the lockdown will be extended into December, as in that case the year will be lost for them because most consumers will have to make do with their own solutions.

Five days ago, the Environment Ministry issued its annual approval for the felling of trees for seasonal decoration purposes, but if retail trade is not allowed to restart this will amount to nothing for the suppliers, especially those in areas such as Taxiarchis in Halkidiki, northern Greece, where 70% of the country’s Christmas trees come from.

“If retail trade opens on December 1, we will be at our posts,” says Makis Kontis, a local fir tree grower, noting however that “if it opens a week later, we will have a problem, as the trees are usually sold on December 1-15,” which means they lose half that time.